Genesis WordPress Theme is one of the top two premium themes for WordPress. The other is Thesis. In WordPress Theme can affect Plugins Needed, I explained how a theme can help me minimize the number of plugins I need. I thought one day I would be choosing Genesis WordPress Theme or Thesis. However the day came sooner than expected and I have now gone with Genesis as my preferred WordPress Theme. (Yes! That is a proud affiliate link!)
Why did I consider Genesis WordPress Theme?
It is really really important to me that I have minimal work to do as far as backend maintenance is concerned. I don’t want to have to worry and fiddle around with updates and upgrades, backupss, and dealing with potential conflicts. Updates and upgrades (for WordPress, Themes, Plugins) cannot be avoided but if the backend fiddling part can be made much easier (or automated), then that becomes a major consideration for me.
WordPress.org offers a huge array of lovely free themes. However a few days after activating my first free choice IconicOne theme, I noticed that there was an update and when I pressed to have it updated, it said that I could lose all my customization. Urgh! Just what I didn’t want to see. I knew that would involve spending the next few hours trying to make sure I didn’t do anything wrong.
So I went off investigating what other better options were available for someone like me who prefers as-easy-as-possible maintenance.
I had already heard of Thesis and Genesis – both paid theme options. But I was hoping that I would only make the move when my site started paying off for itself. I changed my mind in favour of mimimizing future headaches. And the following reasons all contributed to me taking the plunge into paying for a Genesis WordPress Theme.
Genesis or Thesis?
As both of these are the top premium WordPress themes (or framework), my first step was to determine which to go with. The choice was made much easier because so many of the top bloggers seemed to have jumped away from Thesis and moved over to Genesis. (<== Yes! Another proud to be associated affiliate link!)
Thesis Users
At the time of my research (Aug 2013), the known bloggers who are using Thesis are:
- JohnChow (yes, I know one of my chosen internet gurus in my Blog Monetization Experiment but I think that John is not as active in pursuing the latest moves in the WordPress technical world than the other successful bloggers I eventually looked at.) (johnchow.com; Alexa: 9,901)
- Derek Halpern from socialtriggers.com and runs marketing at DIYThemes (which is all about Thesis WordPress Theme. So I guess Derek works for Thesis?)
(socialtriggers.com; Alexa: 15,524) (diythemes.com; Alexa: 5,130) - Hesham Zebida – who develops Thesis Skins
Genesis Users
- Joost de Valk, 2011 (yoast.com; today’s Alexa: 3,682)
- Sugarrae – switched from Thesis to Genesis, 2013 (sugarrae.com; Alexa: 50,287)
- Darren Rowse, 2013 (from problogger.net; Alexa: 4.644)
- Matt Cutts – public figure for Google Webspam team (2013)
- Chris Lema, 2013 (chrislema.com; Alexa: 33,231)
- Reginald Chan, June 2013 (reginaldchan.net; Alexa: 87,993)
- Dragan Palla, Jan 2013 (domainsflow.com; Alexa: 375,975)
Benefits of Genesis WordPress Theme – overview
An Overview of the Benefits of Genesis Framework
Why I Chose Genesis?
There are many many benefits from using Genesis WordPress Theme. I won’t list all of them. Rather I will explain the benefits that convinced me to fork out my money for a paid WordPress theme and why I chose Genesis over Thesis.
Layouts from Genesis for any individual page or post
- Genesis seems to be the choice of top bloggers; even more so when they are switching over from Thesis to Genesis.
- Genesis’s price is lower. Unlike Thesis, they offer unlimited lifetime updates, support.
- You can use your Genesis purchase on as many websites as you want without having to pay a cent more.
- Genesis is already SEO capable – it is Search Engine optimized. (This could mean that you no longer have to install another SEO plugin – though personally I am keeping my WordPress SEO by Yoast. They work well together.)
- Genesis comes with some useful widgets – no extra installations required.
- Genesis enables you to have 6 different layouts for your individual pages or posts!
- Easier Updates! With Genesis, you can enable Automatic Updates and they guarantee that they have tested all updates thoroughly saving you from worry and stress.
“Instant updates – If you think that updates are a pain, you are wrong. Unlike other WordPress Frameworks, Genesis offers you updates with a push of a button. And child themes will ensure that your design stays the same after the update without any other backups.” ~ http://www.eugenoprea.com/studiopress-genesis-framework-for-wordpress-review/
Genesis Framework vs Themes
I will most probably write more about Genesis WordPress Theme and some how-to articles as I myself get to know it better. Some of you may have already come across the terms “Framework” and “Themes” and getting a tat confused. (I know I was.) Throughout this article I have used the phrase “Genesis WordPress Theme”. That was more for simplicity than correctness. Most WordPress users are generally more used to the idea of a Theme rather than Framework.
Nonetheless, Genesis is a Framework. And with this framework, you can acquire and use your (child) theme of choice.
Without going into too much detail, a simple analogy will go towards illuminating this mindset.
Think of a person.
WordPress is the skeleton – the innermost structural workings.
Genesis Framework is the musculature – the framework on which the outer skin will drape.
Theme is the skin that you put over the musculature that determines the appearance, look and feel.
So on a WordPress (self-hosted) site, to use Genesis, you will need both the skeletal structure (the framework) as well as the outer skin (the child themes).
Analogy to illustrate Genesis Framework and child Themes
I know this is not a perfect analogy but hopefully it will give you a better idea how Genesis Framework (aff link) and child Themes go hand in hand.
Please don’t be shy to click my affiliate links if this has been helpful to you. It will not cost you a cent more but will surely help me out with another cup of coffee or so to keep me awake and working!
References
- 13 Tools and Services I Use Every Day to Build a Profitable Blogging Business – problogger.net, July 2013
- 3 Reasons Why I love Genesis … (domainsflow.com, Jan 2013)
- The Best WordPress Themes – Thesis vs Genesis (reginaldchan.net)
- Genesis Review by Yoast, Sep 2011
- Matt Cutts Switches From Thesis to Genesis (wptavern.com, June 2013; Alexa: 43,929)
- Review of Genesis WordPress Theme by Sugarrae, Feb 2013
- Why a Genesis and Thesis Comparison is Still No Comparison, Feb 2013 (chrislema.com)
Hi Helena,
I like how you explained Genesis framework. 🙂
To be honest I haven’t even tryed another WP theme provider but Genesis. Somehow I haven’t had the reason to do that. I think that speaks for itself.
Oh btw thanks for the mention, I appreciate it.
Hi there Dragan,
thanks for dropping by at NetWebbing and for your kind words. I am honoured by your visit to my wee baby site 😀
Your DomainsFlow.com is pretty cool. I really like the Eleven40 Genesis child theme you are using. I love wide pages (maximal use of screen real estate) and also the zen-like white spaces when things are not so squished up.
I am hunting around for my next theme now for another site and Eleven40 looks like a very likely contender. Thanks for your articles on the Eleven40 child theme. I am sure I will be referencing that again as I get moving.
Ciao,
Helena
Thanks Jim for the input. It is great to hear from someone who is using both Thesis and Genesis. It brings so much more credence coming from a user who has experience with both.
Thanks for sharing your analogy: Genesis framework being a theme without many settings for colors and layouts. While the child themes provide just that (and more).
Every analogy I hear just helps make it clearer for me the vast advantages of having independent yet interlinked parent (framework) and child themes.
I think you made a great choice. The complete package from Genesis is a bargain when you consider you get all the current as well as future themes, plus all the upgrades (for parent and child) and support and the freedom to use them as many times, at as many sites as you like. Good on you!
Thank you for your input! 🙂
Helena,
I have used Thesis Theme for about 3.5 years now and love it! However, I recently bought the Genesis Child theme package at StudioPress for about $349 which included 43 child themes and all new child themes they create. There are so many great things about Genesis that you named. One that I like is the ton of child themes for Genesis and the difference in styles. Not so many options for Thesis skins or child themes, right now. But since Thesis 2.1 just came out a few weeks ago, and having used it, I expect it to go up in popularity again.
Well, Like I was saying, the child themes make it easy for designers like myself to get started on and finish client sites quickly! Also, like you said, you can use it on unlimited sites and get free upgrades for life, I believe.
I like your analogy for the frameworks and themes. Another way to explain it is to say that Genesis is like a theme without many settings for color and layout. You can do all the settings the way you want or you can just upload a child theme with all the settings done for you. So the child theme is just the settings for color and layout and style for the Genesis theme that are already pre-set, they just need to be uploaded.
Ok, thanks for sharing your thoughts on the two biggest frameworks in WordPress today!!!
~ Jupiter Jim